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February 25, 2009

Flood of tax notice errors in SF

by Sam Savage

Officials with the San Francisco Treasurer's Office said phone lines were clogged with residents complaining about erroneous tax collection notices.

Complaints about mistaken tax collection notices sent to San Francisco businesses kept the Treasurer's Office phone lines so busy that many recipients showed up in person at City Hall to contest the charges, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday.

One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she received a $310 bill concerning a business that closed its doors three years ago. She said the bill claimed the charges were from 1992.

David Augustine, a spokesman for the San Francisco Treasurer's Office, said the errors were accidental but he did not say what caused the flood of mistaken notices.

If any taxpayer feels like the letter is erroneous, we urge them to contact the person listed on the letter and our staff will respond within 40 hours, Augustine told the Chronicle.